Governor Saonu informed O’Neill that he had with him a letter from the Morobe Gold Field Small Scale Mining Association, on behalf of tenement landowner miners and interested miners in Wau Bulolo Region.

They called for the rejection of an exploration license application made by Wabua Mining Limited and Harmony Gold Exploration Gold Limited in the Wau-Bulolo Valley.

Shadow Attorney General, Kerenga Kua, expressed indignation that the PM continues to travel the world while education, health care and other services in the country have collapsed due to irresponsible government spending.

“The Prime Minister should return home and take a hard look at the sufferings of our people and tighten the government belt on wanton spending,” Kua said.

Speaking at the end of an Official State Visit to the Republic of the Philippines, O’Neill said that a Memorandum of Understanding on agricultural cooperation has been signed that will lead to extensive rice cultivation.

PM O’Neill said understanding has been reached with the Philippines President, Rodrigo Duterte, and his Government to cooperate in the production of rice for the benefit of both countries.

He said this during the 34th Australia-Papua New Guinea Business Forum and Trade Expo in Brisbane, Australia.

O’Neill said the Australia-PNG relationship is enduring and constant with Australia being the largest foreign investor in PNG underpinned by a strong bilateral trading relationship.

The Prime Minister said the economic fundamentals of PNG are sound, and that its carefully managed debt is a tool for economic management and future growth including through infrastructure development, with more than half the Government’s debt being domestic debt.

He is former Prime Minister of Ireland, Bertie Ahern. Although this was made known by President John Momis during a recent parliamentary sitting with his government, a formal joint announcement is yet to be made by both governments.

A reliable source within the ABG told Loop PNG that “President Momis and PM O'Neill have written a joint letter to the former PM of Ireland as a nominee for the position of Chair of the Bougainville Referendum Commission”.